Court Charity
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Suriname| Court Charity | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Location within Paramaribo | |
| General information | |
| Location | Paramaribo, Suriname |
| Coordinates | 5°49′38″N 55°09′47″W / 5.82719°N 55.16314°W |
| Completed | 13 November 1909[1] |
| Client | Foresters Friendly Society |
Court Charity is a friendly society of the Foresters Friendly Society. It is located on Burenstraat in the centre of Paramaribo, Suriname.[2] The building is a monument.[3]
J.F. Waakhuizen became interested in the Ancient Order of Foresters in neighbouring Georgetown, British Guiana, and wanted to establish a court in Suriname.[4] The English headquarters gave permission on 8 December 1885,[5] and the court was inaugurated on 29 July 1886 as Court Charity no. 7416.[4] A cacao warehouse in Burenstraat was acquired,[4] and on 13 November 1909, the current building was inaugurated.[1] Originally, the court was part of the Guiana United District.[5]
Building
The style of the building is atypical. There are some Surinamese elements like the galleries, but also two distinct towers and a mansard roof.[6] The meeting room is on the top floor. On the wall there are paintings like Good Samaritan. The ceiling is vault like and depicts a sky with moon and stars.[1] The building was declared a monument in 1994. In 2014, it was renovated with financial aid of the Dutch embassy.[7]
